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Arcturus Howle
"Some say I'm a little too much of an alcoholic, others say I'm a bit too greedy, then you have the folks who claim me to be an asshole...but I'd say I'm just right..." History Early Childhood Being born the son of a whore gave Arcturus both many advantages and disadvantages in this world. While he was seen as a burden and often ignored, this allowed him to learn that with enough cunning, one could blend into plain sight when needed to. With little to hold him back, for a bastard truly had no claim to the world; he realized that he had nothing to lose. Arcturus was picked up by the local Thieves Guild, and wandered the streets as a pickpocket and information gatherer. Abandoned by his mother, and with no father to come seeking him, he found a family within the guild. As he aged, Arcturus found himself more accustomed to both the sword and beguiling his way into people’s coin purses. One day as he was roaming the city’s harbor, he came across a ship of buccaneers practicing their sword forms. The young boy grew fascinated with their footwork, grace, and deadly precision, enough so that he dared to sneak upon the ship to bear a closer witness to their battlefield prowess. Being a fledgling thief amongst more seasoned thieves, he was quickly discovered and rooted from his hiding spot. Arcturus explained his fascination with their swordplay and that he desired to learn from them, admitting that he would do what was necessary to acquire their skills. With his silver tongue, he managed to cater to the pride of the pirates and a deal was struck. When the ship was docked in the city, Arcturus would come and aid them with chores, and in turn they would pay him in knowledge of the sword. Teenage Years ''' As the boy aged, he grew to become more cunning, charismatic, and agile. With his swordsmanship honed so fine that it became an art, he would patrol the streets to provide aid for other members of his guild in shaking down debts and other seedy deeds. While he was a renown member of the guild due to his sheer tenacity for aiding those around him, he often found himself reserved for more safe work in the city. Eventually, Arcturus would grow bored of his station, and sign up on an expedition as muscle in a raid. The job seemed easy enough, to raid the forgotten vaults of some long forgotten noble houses. The trek took the group well over a month to reach by horses, but with each passing the day, the stories woven by those on the expedition had turned into tales of cursed beings who had been given vast riches from their demon lords. While Arcturus was a fan or lore and stories, this is all they were, stories. He would put stock in the tales when there was gold in sight. With the coming of the next moon, the group had stumbled across the charred city of Tulrushteknaam, the forgotten city of the Cursed Beings. With unfortunate luck, the city had become a breeding ground for hellish creatures, which roamed to broken streets in search of their next kill. The group itself slowly dwindled, eventually leaving only Arcturus and a handful of guild enforcers alive. Despite this horror, the group continued on into the ruins of the city, not wanting to leave empty-handed. As they approached the district of noble houses, they would eventually find one which had a vault, cellar, and underground well intact to seek refuge in. Breaking into the vault would prove to be a test of skills, which led to the rest of the group being slain by traps and perilous pitfalls; the only survivor being Arcturus. Once the way to the vault was cleared, and he had picked the locks, he came across a vast library which was sealed away. While there was no gold, he would come across a book laid upon a pedestal with his name scribed into it. With a sudden fascination, he would begin rifling through the texts of the library in order to find out his relevance to this estate. It was here that Arcturus found knowledge on what he was, who he had been, and where he came from. Yes, he was still a bastard, but now a bastard with a lineage he could trace back. Weeks would pass as the boy toiled away in the library, finding sustenance in the preserves he found in the cellar along with the water from the well. With newfound knowledge, he would emerge from the vaults of his family’s forgotten estate, and return home with the news of a failed expedition. '''Adulthood Since the days of discovering his lineage, Arcturus had become more of a wandering swordsman for hire. His days in the guild had been left behind, finding more lucrative work as a sellsword. While he was not the most honorable of fighters, he had provided results. Up until the time he was being brought into Dark Horizon, Arcturus had been busying himself in obtaining coin and renown to one day build his house back to it’s former glory. Appearance Arcturus is a lightly-muscled being, with a body type which resembles that of a swimmer's build. At six-foot-three, he is a decently statured fellow. His right eye is colorless, lost due to an attack on one of his many jobs as a sellsword; his left eye is still a cold, icy blue. His hair is faded on both sides of his head, leaving the center of auburn hair to grow out into a lazy hawk which he lets rest on either side of his head. A thick stubble covers his strong jaw, which he maintains bi-weekly along with his haircut from a local barber. Under the armor, where his body is not marred with scars, the remainder of his flesh is covered in an assortment of tattoos. Personality A smartass and a charmer, Arcturus can come across as either an asshole or the best of beings to the right person. His skills with a sword leave him confident, but he does on occasion cross into the threshold of arrogance from time to time. With a quick word and an even quicker tongue, he tends to think on his feet and resolve more matters with his charisma as much as he does with his blade. When it comes to loyalty, none garner his trust than that of gold; for it is the only thing he can put stock into. People disappoint in due time, but gold will always hold value. That being said, he can come off as greedy and frugal; though he does spend liberally from time to time. His dedication to his swordsmanship and skill in picking pockets and locks shows that he holds some form of personal code, though it is truly unclear as to what it may be. Many who have traveled with the male however can attest that he never goes a sunrise without some calisthenics and stretching, nor a sunset without a book in his hands nor a practice lock to pick. Loves Alcohol Whores Tobacco Swordplay Knowledge Heavy Coin Purses Fears Fading from this world with no legacy Becoming crippled Hobbies Reading Singing Gambling Family None, all of his family have been slain in a civil war. Friends N/A Enemies N/A Aspirations Arcturus one day hopes to obtain Lordship over some hand and nobility status in order to rebuild his House. Category:Character